Independent journalist Mark Halperin recently offered a pretty good assessment of the cancellation of Colbert, PBS, and NPR.
He suggested that there are shows and even entire networks that Democrats have used as a ‘crutch’ for years because they were so reliably anti-Trump.
Sean Spicer, who was also part of the conversation, pointed out that this environment has forced people on the right to be more creative and find alternatives, which led to things like conservative talk radio.
Partial transcript via Real Clear Politics:
MARK HALPERIN: The left’s presumption that they can asymmetrically dominate the media.
Stephen Colbert turned his show into a nightly anti-Trump program. NPR and PBS, as Karoline Leavitt has well documented—they’re just attack machines for the Democrats.
And they have lost their ability to have these asymmetrical advantages. Huge loss for them and a huge loss to the Democratic Party, which relied on these advantages.
SEAN SPICER: Mark, you’re scratching at something that is so profound. Because I’ve argued for the longest time that Democrats have had a hold on all these mega institutions, right?
And you’re right—you’ve got Colbert, NPR, PBS starting to fall. But then it’s the alternative economy, where Republicans have learned: “OK, well, if you don’t want to get debanked by Bank of America—build your own bank. If you want a currency—go to crypto.”
This is what happened with the media—the rise of talk radio and then podcasts. But the left—their domination of academia, Hollywood, corporate America—is getting chipped away because they jumped the shark on so many things.
MARK HALPERIN: 100%. That’s why I make them the loser. It’s a paradigm shift, and they don’t recognize what a crutch that’s been for them.
Watch the video:
Halperin: Dems Don’t Realize How Much They Rely on Media Crutches Like Colbert and NPR/PBShttps://t.co/kgECKkfqLf
“They have lost their ability to have these asymmetrical advantages. Huge loss for them and a huge loss to the Democratic Party, which relied on these advantages.” pic.twitter.com/SoYxMAuK26
— RCP Video (@rcpvideo) July 18, 2025
This is exactly why so many people on the left are freaking out about all of this. They know they’re losing some of their attack dogs.
